26/03/97lilac conference 2007 plato plagiarism teaching online chris martindale faculty support team...

26/03/97 LILAC Conference 2007

PLATO

PLAgiarism Teaching Online

Chris MartindaleFaculty Support Team ManagerLearning & Information Services

University of Derby


PLATO – PLAgiarism Teaching Online

Question “How do you make a £1.6m a year and drive a Ferrari?”

Answer“Sell essays for £400” Education Guardian 29/07/2006

One in ten students admitted to searching for model essays on the internet according to a THES Survey in 2006

http://www.meganet.com/challenges/ferrari/ferrari-l.jpg





Student plagiarism 'on the rise' BBC 11/02/05

“A rise in the number of students in the UK, including undergraduates from overseas, is likely to mean increased plagiarism”

Deterring, Detecting and Dealing with Student Plagiarism 2005

"A decision to plagiarise may be associated with increasing pressures on students arising from, for example, undertaking paid work, heavier coursework load, or lack of personal organisation skills.” op.cit.

"When stresses rise, students see plagiarism as a reasonable and reasonably risk-free way out of difficulties." op.cit.


PLATO – PLAgiarism Teaching Online“Academic offences!, academic integrity!”

…..what’s all the fuss about?…………………

So what is plagiarism……………………?Plagiarism is the “The taking and using as one’s own of the thoughts, writings or inventions

of another” Shorter Oxford English Dictionary 1944 3rd edition

“Submitting someone else’s work as your own” Jude Carroll, 2007

“Submitting”………………………………Giving the appearance of compliance to academia

“Someone’s work”…………………………What is the work? + who owns it? (Wikis, Blogs etc)

“as your own”………………………………’Originality’ – without a quotation & citation

“I found that the notion of cardinal literary virtue of newness was at odds with my own sense of difficulty in achieving that newness” Laura B. Spencer 2004



“““Every generation has the privilege of standing on the shoulders of the generation that went before; but it has no right to pick the pockets of the first comer”

Brander Matthews Recreations of an Anthologist 1967

The quality of academic writing must go beyond descriptionto analysis, synthesis and evaluation. This forces the needfor writing, time management and information literacy skills‘drowning in information, and thirsting for wisdom’



Some additional issues

• Is plagiarism deliberate or genuinely accidental? Intent?

• The language adopted can be academic “malpractice” – “cheats” + “offenders” + “detection” should students be treated like criminals?

• Are International students more likely to commit plagiarism?Cultural aspects of learning and IELT issues

• Needed! A shared understanding of what “academic integrity” and what plagiarism really means!


How is the need to understand plagiarism relevant to

Information Literacy?

“Information Literacy Outcome 5, is that students should understand economic, legal, and social issues surrounding the use of information; and they should access and use information ethically and legally. Outcomes could include describing censorship or identifying plagiarism. “

Information Literacy Project Team 2006 (Kings College)



“ “Local police launch new crime initiative!”

“Is PLATO intended to teach students how to plagiarise!?”



Background to PLATO23,000 students at the University of DerbyThird part time & over 40% over 21yrs old

Largest no. of Learning Through Work stdts. in the UKThere are 500 purely e-learning students.

PLATO initiated from research with P.G. students

Confusion over what plagiarism is. Action needed a strong need for an educational tool



• Some of the other findings included……………………..

• A strong belief in the need for academic integrity• An awareness of risks of the ease of “copy and paste”• A wide variety of diverse educational experience• Pressure points – time mgt., fear of failure• Lack of confidence in skill sets• Lack of technical knowledge e.g. “how do I cite in the

text?”



Aims

• To build skills at referencing

• Address cultural & diversity issues

• Enable different levels of access

• Immediate responses to diagnostic tests

• Encourage reflection by problem solving

• Clear direction to sources of support


PLATO – PLAgiarism Teaching OnlineHow was this achieved?By developing skills through:

• Using diverse media: animation, audio & video• Diagnostic testing to enable progression • Varied entry level for beginners/advanced learners• Advanced referencing section for wider examples

Navigation on screen by “point & click” • Multiple choice questions• True or false• Drag & drop selection


A multiple route approach


• A multiple route approach to developing skills


Identifying plagiarism behaviour



Inclusive of Learners from diverse backgrounds




• Link

http://www.derby.ac.uk/preview/chrismartindale/plagiarism/menuplag.html



• PLATO

http://www.derby.ac.uk/preview/chrismartindale/


PLATO – PLAgiarism Teaching OnlinePrevious instruction about how to avoid plagiarism

Recent survey of International Postgraduate Students almost 50% at pre-entry level had not been shown how to avoid plagiarism

Evaluation

75% - rated PLATO “easy to use”

60% - found PLATO “very helpful” in learning about how to avoid plagiarism

Comments from International Post Graduate students

“Its use of real examples” “Very helpful, a good idea”

“It deters you from any form of cheating” and “gives you confidence on how to reference”


PLATO – PLAgiarism Teaching OnlineFuture developments

• PLATO introduced in December 2006

• Courseware evaluation – January 2007

• New version planned for July 2007

• Address full accessibility

• Further study skills

• Develop audio & visual presentation

• Wider use of examples video

• Involvement of Faculty & S.U. stakeholders



Partnership across the University – Learning technologists– Academic staff– Learning support staff

“ I found PLATO easy to use and easy to understand because of the animation guide was fun to do and very direct and simple” Heny Tanu, PG student March 2006


Your solution could bePLATO

PLAgiarism

Teaching

Online



Thank you for listening

Enjoy trying PLATO out for yourselves.

http://www.preventplagiarism.co.uk

[email protected]

26/03/97lilac conference 2007 plato plagiarism teaching online chris martindale faculty support team...

Documents

increased plagiarism

use of information

information literacy

number of students

international students

computing lawhow

academic integrity

quality of academic